COLONIA, N.J. - The reigning champions are ready to run it back. The Daemen Wildcats have once again earned the top spot in the 2025–26 East Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll, claiming all nine first-place votes. Anchoring their lofty expectations is the league’s most dominant force: redshirt junior Benjamin Bill, who was unanimously named the ECC Preseason Player of the Year.
Bill is coming off a historic 2024-25 season, one that cemented his place among the nation’s elite. The 6-foot-10 Hamburg, N.Y. native averaged 16.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, leading the conference with a staggering .708 field goal percentage. His standout season earned him a collection of major honors, including ECC Player of the Year, D2CCA Third Team All-America, NABC Division II All-America, D2CCA All-East Region First Team, and NABC All-District First Team. Already among Daemen’s all-time leaders in field goals and blocks, Bill enters his junior campaign as the centerpiece of a Wildcats squad that shows no signs of slowing down.
Daemen was nothing short of dominant last season, finishing 28-1 overall and a perfect 11-0 in ECC play en route to another ECC Championship and a victory over Bridgeport in the NCAA Regional Quarterfinals. The Wildcats posted absurd statistical margins, leading the conference in nearly every major category, including points allowed per game (63.6), scoring margin (+21.1), field goal percentage, three-point percentage, rebounding margin, and assists. Simply put, Daemen was in a league of its own, and the path to the 2026 title still runs through the Wildcats.
But if there’s one team ready to challenge that dominance, it’s St. Thomas Aquinas. The Spartans, who earned 69 points and nearly every second-place vote, return after a 25-10 (13-3 ECC) campaign that tested their resilience. After falling to Daemen in last year’s ECC Championship, St. Thomas Aquinas earned an NCAA Tournament berth - defeating Pace in the opening round before avenging their ECC loss with a victory over the Wildcats in the second round. The Spartans led the conference in scoring (85.8 points per game) and rebounding (42.8 per game), showcasing a fast-paced, physical brand of basketball that makes them a legitimate contender once again.
Staten Island rounds out the top three with 54 points, returning a squad known for its perimeter shooting and scrappy play. The Dolphins went 12-18 (7-9 ECC) last season but made a strong postseason push, defeating Roberts Wesleyan in the opening round of the ECC Tournament. Staten Island led the conference in three-point field goals made (9.0 per game), giving them the firepower to compete with anyone on a hot shooting night.
The rest of the preseason poll features Queens (48 points) and Roberts Wesleyan (45) in the middle of the pack, followed by D’Youville (42) and District of Columbia (24). Molloy (22) and Mercy (20) round out the rankings as they look to make statements of their own heading into the 2025–26 campaign.
2025-26 ECC Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Daemen - 81 points (9 first-place votes)
2. St. Thomas Aquinas - 69 points
3. Staten Island - 54 points
4. Queens - 48 points
5. Roberts Wesleyan - 45 points
6. D'Youville - 42 points
7. District of Columbia - 24 points
8. Molloy - 22 points
9. Mercy - 20 points